Strangers in a Strange Land
by I'mWishingforaStarRod
Summary: Pop Star used to be a quiet, peaceful, obscure little planet. Then it became a safe haven for the last of their kind. Family, Tragedy, a little humor here and there. Kirby references galore! Rated T for slight swearing and death. My first fanfic! Please tell me what you think!
1. Chapter 1: Masks and Marx

**Oh my nova! my first Fanfiction! **

**Do I look Ok? Is my hair all right? Should I smile? No, I look stupid...will they notice me...?**

**I'm a little worried on how this'll come out, but I love this story idea! I don't want to give too much away, but MK will be a little OOC before he goes off to war. This is because he's younger and hasn't witnessed so many deaths yet. I hope to solve any Kirby mystery I can here... But no time for chit-chat! Read the fanfic!**

Chapter One: Masks and Marx

"YOU want to work for my dad?"

The little blue penguin-like creature stared at him. The boy in question, a little navy puffball with white eyes and purple feet, looked indignant.

"I'm tougher than I look. Your dad IS the king here, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He's kinda busy right now with who knows what, but you can talk to him in a minute. That is, if he doesn't laugh his head off and kick you out."

The puffball scowled. "If I ever get the chance, I'll behead you someday." The penguin boy huffed.

"Don't you talk to a prince that way! When I'm king, you'll regret that remark...whatever your name is."

"Meta. I assume you are Prince Dedede then? The villagers told me about you."

Prince Dedede struck a pose, making a peace sign and adjusted his Pom-Pom hat. "That's my name; don't wear it out. The point is that if you wanna be a knight here, you gotta look tougher. Hold up a sec."

The robed penguin boy ran down the hallways of the dimly lit castle, the blue peace sign on the back of his robe flapping as he ran. Meta tapped his foot, impatient. The castle was huge, but he'd make it. He always did.

The prince came back, holding a silver mask in his hands. "I play pretend with these things all the time, pretending I'm a knight. Here, put it on."

The puff used the coarse, leather strap on the mask to hold it on, and glanced up at Dedede. Meta's eyes eyes were now yellow, which was slightly unnerving.

"I think there might be some yellow film in the eyeholes. It turns my eyes green when I put it on." The two walked towards the throne room, their voices echoing in the tall corridor.

"Dedede, kinda a funny name idn't it?"

"It's actually a pretty common name where I come from. Well, I think. That's what my dad says. My mom named me. Dad says she wasn't one for imagination."

"I don't know about my name or my parents. All I know is that my home planet was blown up by bad guys." He shook off that subject. He didn't like talking about his home planet, even if he didn't remember it at all. "What happened to your mother?"

"She died a little while after I was born. Some disease which meant she couldn't eat anything. I don't really like talking about it..."

Meta blushed. It was really getting awkward. After walking in silence for about five minutes, they met a strange purple creature. It looked like a noddy, but was purple and had a jester's hat perched merrily on his head. The hat was covered in silver jewels, probably fake. The noddy was sweating profusely.

"Hey hey hey, Your Majesty!"

"Hi Marx!"

Meta looked confused. "Oh, that's Marx, the court jester. And just between you and me, he's not very funny." The jester ran away.

The two made it to the throne room, joking and laughing. It was an ornate room, simply decorated with purple and gray walls, and Dedede's victory sign painted on the south end.

"Dad?"

His father wasn't there. All that was there was a torn note.

_Dedede-_

_Check the basement. Come as soon as po-_

Dedede went into a panic, eyes wide and running as fast as he could to the basement. Meta sped up to him, and in seconds reached the castle basement. Both their minds were awhirl. Dedede was more or less in a state of panic; his tongue was all tied up, and he couldn't walk in a straight direction. Meta really didn't know what to say. He just needed work and somewhere to train. The battle with Nightmare was still going strong, and Meta had an urge to help. He never thought five minutes in his new home could end up with his new boss held prisoner.

Five incredibly confused minutes later, the unusual pair arrived at the basement door. The little penguin pushed the door as hard as he could, but it wouldn't open.

"Gumball, it won't open! Why won't it open?!"

Meta sweatdropped. "Dedede, I think you're supposed to pull the door open. And don't call me Gumball."

"Oh." Dedede wrenched the door open.

Small, orange, round creatures stood at the door; hundreds of them. They had sort of an innocent cuteness to them, with huge eyes and blushing cheeks, but they had no mouths. Almost all if them were crying, small tears running down their adorable faces. They surrounded a black coffin. Dedede stared, taking uncertain steps toward the casket, then started to bawl.

"H-HE-HE'S DEAD!"

Meta looked at the coffin. _Well, I guess I won't need a job interview now, _he thought. He laughed, a small, slightly ominous chuckle deepened by the steel mask.

Everyone looked at him. Even poor Dedede looked up, slightly unnerved by Meta's laugh. The little round creatures looked genuinely scared of him. Meta wasn't sure if he liked it or not. "Sorry..."

The prince sniffed. "D-don't worry you guys...He's not as tough as he looks..."

The puffball sent Dedede an annoyed glare. "So, what happened to him?"

**Ooh, cliffhanger... I'm so evil... XD **

**Well, that concludes chapter one! I'm going to keep track of all the tiny references and plot holes solved:**

**1: Kirby and Meta's home planet (it got blown up by Nightmare)**

**2: Who Dedede's parents were**

**3: Why Meta's eyes are yellow when he has the mask on**

**4: The introduction of Masked Dedede, or at least how he started wearing them.**

**Just a small clarification: Dedede's mother died of a disease similar to mono extreme. This is when you cannot keep foods down, like regular mono, but with mono extreme you can't keep LIQUIDS down either. I don't think it's fatal, but you do have to go to the hospital.**

**Meta Knight sure has a strange sense of humor, doesn't he? When Tiff told him that Tuggle and Gengu had made an action figure out of him, he laughed. How is that funny?**

**R&R! Constructive Criticism welcome! Compliments are great too!**


	2. Chapter 2: Heir to the Throne

**I didn't bring this up earlier, but I do not own Nintendo, the Kirby Franchise, or any of the characters. I don't own the cover image either. That belongs to the great web cartoonist, Matthew Taranto. I loved your comic, and please don't sue me! ^.^**

Chapter Two: Heir to the Throne

"What. The HELL. Happened?!"

"Dedede, that's not polite language." Meta solemnly removed the mask. The orange creatures relaxed. He lent over to the nearest one, giving a small smile to show that he was harmless. "What happened to him?"

A different creature emerged from the swarm. He was a darker orange, had differently colored feet, and carried a small sword and a wand. The most unsettling thing about him was that he only had one eye, right in the middle of his face. "Turns out he was in here for days. Someone starved him to death."

Feeling slightly stupid, Meta asked, "Who are you creatures?"

The darker one spoke up. "These are the waddle dees, faithful servants of his majesty. You may call me Waddle Doo."

A shuddering sob was heard over to where the melancholy little prince was sobbing his melancholy little eyes out. "For days? You mean you hadn't..." He drifted off. Dedede's face had a feeling of ruined innocence to it. Dedede himself hadn't been familiar with the twisted ways of death, but when his father, the only person he had ever cared about, had died, something in him had died as well. Meta didn't want his new friend to have to talk about it if he didn't have to.

Dedede sighed. "I didn't see my dad very much. He was trying his best to rule a country, ya know? He used to tell me stories though; about our people and our original home. Almost every night. Other thn that, he was so busy. He was so committed to his job." He stopped there, and blew his nose on his sleeve. Waddle Doo gave him a reproachful look. "Sorry..."

The funeral of Dedede's father consisted of every waddle dee, Cappy, and creature in the land. The king was a kind old soul who was committed to his country and only child, Dedede. Dedede cried some more. It wasn't very fun.

Dedede was crowned king, and the coronation ceremony was the day after the funeral.

Dedede stepped out of his bedroom. He was wearing a long red robe that was way too big for him, a bunch if fake plastic medals, and an oversized crown on his head that looked like an urchin.

"How do I look?"

There was a short pause. "Great!"

All the Cappies were pretty much bored at the coronation. All Dedede ever did was make incoherent sentences when he was supposed to be making a speech, and Meta just awkwardly stood there.

The day after Dedede was officially known as King Dedede, he and Meta were debating in the castle throne room.

"I wish I didn't have to do this! I haven't had ANY proper training!"

Meta, who had been knighted the precious day, brought up a point. "Just give the crown to someone else; like a cappy who has good leadership skills."

The newly crowned king shook his head. "I can't do that. It's against the law here and they respected my dad so much. I can't just LEAVE. And no one else can replace me because I'm the only one of my kind left. My people lived on the other side of Dreamland, and they all died."

"Disease?"

"Famine."

"Oh..."

"Mom and dad took me here soon after I was born. Dad met everyone and became really popular. Then the queen there died and everyone wanted my dad for the throne. That's why we were here."

"Plus, I want to find out who killed him, and-" he made a very violent gesture. Meta agreed to help look for clues, though reluctant to let Dedede go back to the room where his father was killed.

The two explored the musty jail cell. All was dark and quiet. Everything was a deep, dull gray except for a few sparkly jewels by the cell door.

Jewels.

Wait.

Didn't MARX wear jewels just like that on his hat? And Marx was running in the opposite direction when Meta Knight and Dedede met him just a few days ago. He had been sweating.

All evidence pointed too-

"Marx." They said the name simultaneously.

Marx had been brought in for questioning.

"Where were you when...when...when it happened?" Dedede asked.

"Well, uh... I was headin towards my room, you shoulda known that, sire!"

A few meaningless and boring questions later, when Meta Knight was beginning to daydream, Marx said something interesting.

"FINE! MAYBE I DID KILL HIM!"

Dedede fell out of his chair, grabbed Meta Knight's brand new cape, and pulled him onto the tangle on the floor as well. Dedede's head peeped out over the table. "Huh?"

"Yeah! I wanted Popstar, the old man knew that! He didn't give it to me! And boy, when I want something, your majesty, **_I get it."_**

"Ok!" Dedede interrupted, shouting so he didn't have to hear any more. "Somebody get a straightjacket and chuck this guy in the looney bin! He's done lost his marbles!"

Marx would've been beheaded if Meta Knight hadn't stepped in and suggested that he be banished instead. And so it was done. Marx was banished from Planet Popstar, never to return.

"Oh, you just wait, your majesty. I will return, when you do not have indigo gumballs following your every move. **_You just wait._**"

"Well," Dedede said, shutting the main doors, "That was kinda creepy."

All went well for several months, and the king and the knight became each other's advisers as well as friends. Neither had had any friends before, and Dedede ruled under Meta's wise advice and guidance.

All went well until Meta received a letter from the Galaxy Soldier Army.

All went well until he had been drafted to fight in the war against Nightmare.

**That increases our count:**

**5: Why Dedede has no apparent family**

**6: Why Dedede is overweight. Think about it. His parents both died of malnourishment and his people died of a famine. Geez, after watching the anime I never thought I'd feel sorry for Dedede, but I am...-sniff-**

**7: Why Marx wants to take over Popstar. He's bitter. He's also criminally insane. The insane part is probably the main reason he wants to rule, but the bitterness may be a small contribution.**

**Does anyone remember that one episode in Kirby Right Back at Ya where Dedede had a coronation anniversary and NOBODY showed up? Yeah, the outfit in this chapter was inspired by that...**

**I don't know why I remember that, maybe because his outfit was emotionally scarring? I dunno!**

**R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3: A Strange Comet

**Pepdog1, The Cosmic Penguin, and Storytosee, thank you so much for reviewing! And thanks to Cos and Meaflicker for following my story! You guys are making my day each time you view my story! **

**-checks stats-**

**103 views!? OH MY NOVA THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!**

**Also, I want to work on another story, but I don't know what. So, I made a poll in my profile! Vote for what story you want me to write next!**

Chapter Three: A Strange Comet

Meta was gone for 200 years at least. With the Dreamlanders not paying any attention to Dedede and his only friend gone, he became sullen, greedy, and arrogant. He ate more and became more and more lethargic. He lowered the waddle dees' pay until they could barely survive.

Not very much happened during those 200 years, each day becoming even more tedious than the last, until a excited little snail arrived at his castle one spring morning.

The snail had acne all over his face and a pair of thick black glasses bound together by masking tape. He also had green braces, and when he said a word with "s" in it it sounded like "esh".

"Hello, shire! My name ish Eshcargoon and I would very much like to work in your cashtle. I have heard wonderful thingsh from the villagersh, so you musht be nice! and I would make a great assischtant too!"

He said all of this very fast. Dedede looked confused. "WHAT?"

The snail was only too happy to repeat everything he had said earlier, word for word. It was appearant that he had memorized it for the job interview.

"Sorry, I don't have room here for nerds." He tried to slam the door shut.

"Ow."

He had slammed it on Escargoon's hand. He sighed, then reopened the door.

"PLEASSSSCHHHHH?" Escargoon then gave the puppy-dog eyes to Dedede, who tried to look away.

Sweat beaded on Dedede's forehead.

30 seconds passed.

"ALL RIGHT, FINE!"

**_-pagebreak-_**

Life at the castle soon became normal for Escargoon. After a short while, he got his braces removed so he could talk clearly again. His acne still hadn't cleared up. Maybe he should cut down on the peanut butter cookies... (The author looked left and right, making sure no one had seen the Kirby Abridged reference, then continued typing.)

He calmed down after a while, and got used to the fact that Dedede beat him with a hammer on a regular basis. He assumed it was a stress reliever.

Everything seemed fine, except for the first few nights.

Escargoon slept in the bedroom next to King Dedede's, so if he ever needed anything during the night he would be able to hear him and rush to his aid.

The first night, after he removed his glasses and crawled under the covers, he heard what sounded like moaning. One of his eyes peeped open. It came again. It wasn't moaning. Someone was crying.

Slightly creeped out, the snail went over to the wall on the other side of the room, the wall that divided his and King Dedede's rooms.

There was no doubt. He was definitely crying himself to sleep.

Hopefully.

He had heard rumors about nightmares, or what they called bad dreams. He had never had one, and that was normal. Having nightmares meant you were induced by evil. Every villain had had a bad dream.

Waddle Doo had told him about someone who used to work here. One night he had a nightmare, and went insane over it. He was the one who killed Dedede's father.

Shivering, Escargoon got back under the covers and fell into an uneasy sleep.

**_-pagebreak-_**

The castle door silently opened one summer night. A dark figure creeped in. Yellow eyes, ever watchful, glowed, adjusting to the light. It was holding a golden sword that perfectly matched his eyes. The figure creeped into the throne room, gazing at the extremely narcissistic decorations. _This place has changed since I was here last_, he thought. He snuck up behind the king, who was lounging on his throne.

"Hello again, Your Majesty."

"GAH!" The penguin king jumped at least three feet in the air in surprise. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF NOVA WAS THAT?!"

Dedede squinted at the figure. "Meta?"

The figure nodded. Dedede ran up and hugged him. Meta Knight sweatdropped.

"Sire, please let go of me."

"NOVA, man, what happened to you?! You're so serious all of a sudden!"

"I...don't want to talk about it..."

"Sheesh! Don't get all emo on me, Meta! Do ya want something to eat? Hamburger? Pep Brew? Maxim Tomato?"

"No, thank you, your Majesty."

Escargoon stood in the back of the throne room,holding a feather duster, watching the two have the most awkward conversation he had ever seen. He had never seen the strange blue gumball before, but the king seemed to trust him, so he must be alright...mustn't he?

The two walked out of the throne room, both feeling uncomfortable. What did one say to a best friend they hadn't seen in 200 years? (I personally don't know, partially because I haven't lived 200 years...)

The knight and the king stopped just outside the castle, standing in the deserted courtyard. They started to argue, their voices growing louder and cracking with emotion.

"Why? What happened that you don't want to tell me?!"

"I have a right to privacy!"

"Just tell me! Speaking of which, take the mask off already! Why do you hide your face if I know what it looks like?"

There was a pause. The knight seemed either about to cry or about to scream in anger. Maybe both.

"IT MAKES ME LOOK WEAK!"

Dedede stepped back, slightly shocked. "Huh?"

"You said it yourself! I have had the hardest time adjusting to war and look where it got me! I had really good friends who reminded me of you and your kindness. Do you know what happened to them?!"

Dedede shook his head, tears welling in his eyes.

"One was a back-stabbing traitor to Nightmare and he almost killed me! One was brainwashed and I had to kill him to save the army! And the last..."

His voice cracked. "Goddammit, I loved her! I was going to tell her but then she sacrificed her life so I could get this STUPID sword!"

Meta threw the sword across the courtyard and it clanged against a wall. Electricity buzzed from it like an angry hornet. The sword's owner looked like one as well.

"And then I came back to this dump, hoping for consolence from my best friend, and I find that you grew incredibly FAT and ARROGANT as hell!"

Dedede looked incredibly ticked. His face was red, cheeks fleshed, and his eyes could have literally killed.

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"

"WELL, _YOUR MAJESTY_, I GUESS WE'RE NOT ANYMORE!"

"Grrr... COME AT ME BRO!"

"ALRIGHT THEN! _FIGHT ME!_"

Dedede pulled out a giant hammer. Meta Knight stared at it, having never seen it before.

"What's the matter? Never seen the weapon of kings before?"

Meta Knight used his cape to teleport over to the cate wall, and retrieved Galaxia. He then teleported to about 5 feet from where Dedede was standing. They showed off their weapons.

A male voice seemingly came from nowhere.

"3!

2!

1!

GO!"

A hit percentage bar appeared near the bottom of Dedede's line of vision. Curiously, He lowered his hammer and peered at it. "King Dedede, 0%" he read.

Meta Knight gave a frightening chuckle. "I thought you couldn't read, your Majesty."

Dedede's face went bright red, half of anger and half of embarrassment, and raised his hammer.

Weapons flew as the two exchanged blows, each's damage meter steadily increasing.

The friendship was breaking as if Dedede were sitting upon it. Suddenly, a streak penetrated the night sky, coming ever closer.

"What is that?" The two seemed to have momentarily forgotten their argument.

With a whoosh, the streak reached the ground, landing softly on the ground about twenty feet away from where they were standing.

It was an escape capsule, silvery-gray and green with a hatch that opened automatically, with a burst of warm air, when the duo approached. They peered inside.

Inside there was a beautiful baby human girl. She had very short black hair and a rosy complexion, and beautiful green eyes, which blinked as she woke up. She looked about eight months old overall.

She was clutching something, but it wasn't a stuffed animal. It was a raspberry-red beret.

Dedede reached in and picked the girl up with the upmost carefulness. She sleepily rubbed her eyes. "Pinceau?*" She asked in a soft, shy voice. She cuddled against the king's soft robe, and fell back asleep, clutching the red beret, her thumb in her mouth.

"Aw.. She's so cute..." Dedede gave a small smile and held the child against his chest. "What does pin-showe mean?"

Meta Knight's eyes were still a deep crimson, but they lightened a little when the girl fell asleep. 'I do not know. Perhaps it is baby talk.."

The knight looked into the capsule, and noticed it had several other things in it besides the girl ad her bedding. There was a clean blue paintbrush, and it sparkled in the starlight, as well as a golden watch. There was one more thing inside.

It was a singular piece of worn yellow paper. Most of the letters were missing, but here was what he could make out:

**Name: Adeleine**

**D B: Jun 11 2**

**Born: Th Lou v rt seum **

**Parent : **

**Natio lit : Fre c**

**Homet w : Par**

It was very confusing. Dedede set the child in the grass and looked at the capsule, then picked up the watch. There was a handwritten note attached.

**Je t'aime, ma belle fille. J'espère que tu seras comme le grand artiste Je sais vous êtes.**

**-Papa****

Meta looked at Dedede, who had a pleasing looke in his large eyes.

"Fine! We can keep her! Just bring this stuff inside!"

**Another chappie done and the introduction of Adeleine! I love Adeleine, she is tied for my favorite kirby character (with Meta Knight).**

***"Paintbrush?"**

**** I love you, my beautiful girl. I bet you'll grow to be the great artist I know you are.**

**-Daddy**

**I used Google translate, so sorry if it's wrong...**

**Ok, just a clarification, years in Dreamland are a LOT quicker than there are on Earth. The characters aren't living for centuries or anything, that's just how they keep time on Popstar.**

**Any questions? **

**Why did I make Addie French? Am I stereotypical?**

**No. Originally, Adeleine was American, and about six or seven, like how she appears in Kirby 64. I was going to have her say she arrived on a comet, and that kind if reminded me of something Rosalina would say. Hmm... Me write a Rosalina backstory? Well, theres already one written. And it's canon. So probably not.**

**Then I made her younger, to give the two more of an opportunity to raise her. Then I thought Meta and Dedede should try to teach her to speak their language, which may be completely different from English. We may never know. I had the idea that she could speak a fluent language very well, but then have the king and the knight dismiss it as baby talk. I had a very hard time deciding where she should be from, and it's important for a later chapter.**

**So I thought about Adeleine as a character, and how she's so attached to art. Maybe, I thought, she might have even been conceived near art. (While were on the subject, does Anyone want to guess where Adeleine was born? Cookies for those who review with an answer!) so I made her French.**

**Okay? Good.**

**Class dismissed.**

**R&R, **

**StarRod**


	4. Chapter 4: She's a What Now? (Part one)

**Hey, everybody, it's NOT chuggaconroy! (Guess what YouTube videos I've been watching lately...)**

**(Actually, I've been watching PeanutButterGamer. Fooled you! ;D)**

**My story poll is still going strong! You have about a week to vote, longer if there aren't really a lot of voters. So far, the current option in the lead is..**

**A 3 way tie between a crossover, a fluffy fic between Adeleine and Meta knight, and a romance fic! (All with one vote! )**

**Vote now!**

Chapter 4: She's a what-now? (Part one)

Meta Knight and King Dedede arrived at the castle doors, Meta Knight carrying the capsule and Dedede the sleeping baby.

They met Escargoon in the main throne room. His eyes went wide. "Why are you two all beat up?" He asked. Dedede and Meta exchanged looks. The arrival of Adeleine had made them forget about the fight the two were in the middle of.

"It's a long story." Meta replied. "Do you know what this is?"

He gestured towards the baby girl and the capsule. Escargoon put his hand on his chin. "Hmmm... I don't know what species that thing is, but I can do some research. I think the capsule was a sort of escape pod. Maybe wherever she came from was in some sort of danger."

Meta picked the capsule up again and tried to fly to where Escargoon had asked him. His wings were still too small. His friend Sir Falspar and told him. It had been a relief to know he hadn't been

The very last of his kind, but he had felt staggering sorrow to find out they had all died resisting Nightmare, while he, Yamikage, Garlude, and Jecra were in a reconnaissance mission to retrieve Galaxia. He had piloted back to Popstar, hoping to see Dedede.

Then the fight.

Then the girl.

Was her arrival fate, strings pulled by NOVA to make sure their bond wasn't broken by sending them a helpless child?

He didn't know, but he was sure that the girl would be protected.

**_-pagebreak-_**

Dr. Yabui looked at Adeleine for a full three minutes before telling the unlikely pair the results. "I've run some tests," he told Dedede and Meta Knight, "and I can say with confidence that she is perfectly healthy."

"That's not what we asked, you quacko!"

Meta Knight gave Dedede a nudge. "Excuse my colleague. Now, do you know what species she is?"

Dr. Yabui looked at Adeleine again, a hand on his chin. Adeleine amused herself by trying to grab his glasses off of Yabui's face. The (probably fake) doctor backed away so she wouldn't be able to.

"Hm..."

Yabui squinted at the baby girl, who was beginning to get hungry and starting to fuss.

"Uh..."

Meta Knight tapped his foot impatiently.

"Well..."

Dedede was beginning to get hacked off.

Yabui blushed and outright announced, "I have no idea."

The king and the knight fell over, anime style.

**_-pagebreak-_**

Adeleine stopped crying when Dedede picked her up and took her out of Yabui's clinic. She sat on his shoulders and chatted happily in that strange language she knew. She laughed and smiled, waving at several Cappies. They backed away hurriedly.

Holding Adeleine piggyback-style, Dedede smiled at how happy the baby looked with them. He liked this girl. She had spunk, like he did.

They were waking through a field littered with daises, and had small saplings that were randomly scattered around it near the dangerous woods. Two people, a young man and a young woman, both had flowers in their extremely long hair skipped merrily through the meadow, smiling.

"Hippies." Dedede muttered as the couple skipped past them.

**_-pagebreak-_**

Escargoon didn't like Adeleine, partially because his Majesty did. He gave a soft sort of affectionate smile whenever she smiled, and laughed when she laughed. All his majesty ever did to him was order him around and beat him half to death with a large hammer.

Maybe he was jealous.

Maybe.

He sat in his lab, wondering who the hell this girl was and where the hell she came from. If he found out, he was going to shove her back in that metal barrel and shoot her back when Dedede wasn't looking.

He got out a computer that looked like it had come straight out the 1980s, and began his research.

**_-pagebreak-_**

"Welp, she doesn't like Maxim Tomatoes." Dedede commented as he tried to get Adeleine to eat. Meta knight smiled under his steel mask. Dedede was on his back, almost asleep, sometimes gazing at the clouds and sometime seeing how Adeleine was getting along.

They were eating lunch in the castle courtyard. It was a beautiful day out, so why not waste the day lounging around outside?

Meta remained standing, and watched the girl try to drink some Pep Brew. She ended up spilling most of it on herself, but she did appear to be enjoying the taste of it.

Adeleine, Meta noticed, liked sandwiches the best.

Meta watched as the girl stood up and took uneasy steps over to the picnic basket, where the paintbrush and a small easel the king had bought were. She picked them up, staggering slightly, and carried them over. She picked up her bright blue paintbrush, and dipped it in the paint on her palette. She painted for a minute.

Her tiny hands held the paintbrush with ease, and she made careful strokes as she painted. Her paintbrush, they noticed, had rainbow paint all over the tip. How did that work?

She wouldn't let them see what she was painting until she was done. Two minutes later, she held up a well-painted picture of Dedede himself, hammer and everything.

"Well, I'll be...that's a nice picture!" Dedede looked very pleased, and a little flattered.

She pointed to his portrait. "Daddydee." She said, smiling.

"Dedede." The king automatically replied.

"Dadady?"

"Dedede."

"Daddy!" She hugged the king, gripping onto the edge of his robes. He sighed. "I'll take it..."

Meta smiled. "She's a painting prodigy, apparently."

Dedede gave him a confused look. "She's a what-now?"

Meta knight rolled his eyes. "I'll explain later..."

He handed Meta the picture, and Dedede picked the baby girl up. "You're all right, Addie girl." The penguin pretended to drop her, and she gave a squeal. He caught her again. He threw her up, and this time he really DID drop her. Meta Knight just barely caught her. "You'll be lucky if you didn't knock her fillings loose, sire."

Dedede stuck his tongue out at the knight. Adeleine copied him, then burst out laughing.

Escargoon waked through the main doors, a somber expression on his face. "I hate to break up your little family picnic, but I have some information that may be helpful."

**I had fun writing this cute lil chapter ;3**

**What did Goonie find out? Well, as the part one on the chapter title indicates, I'll wrap this part up (maybe) in the next chapter. I hope you had a fun time reading this adorable chapter, because the next one will be serious. (Me? Serious? Never...XD)**

**Guess who the couple is...hint: They're in the anime and they've changed quite a bit. They have two children.**

**Please review, follow, fave, and fill out my story poll! **

**Type ya later (copyright the Cosmic Penguin),**

**StarRod **


	5. Chapter 5: She's a What Now? (Part two)

**Please vote in my poll, as this affects what story I'm going to wrote next! Today is the last day; if there is a tie then there will be a surprise story as the winner!**

**Poll will be closed at midnight tonight!**

**Thank you to the people who voted, reviewed and faved this story!**

Chapter 5: She's a What Now? (Part two)

Dedede looked slightly nervous as he picked Adeleine up and put her on his large shoulders. He picked up the easel and paintbrush as well, and Meta Knight packed up the picnic basket. Escargoon looked incredulously at the pair, hands on his hips.

"Hurry. I found top secret information that I probably shouldn't have. Someone is going to find out sooner or later, what with Nightmare's hit men stalking everyone with technology."

The three of them ran to Escargoon's lab, Dedede more or less in a state of panic. Meta Knight had a strange feeling of Déjà Vu, but couldn't place where he had had that feeling before. Adeleine looked at Dedede, a slight frown on her young face. She knew something was wrong, and she didn't like it.

Escargoon opened the door, where floor-to-ceiling 1950s style computers were lined up around the walls, an old printer was next to a beaten up 1980s style computer. The lab looked like Steve Job's mood room.

Escargoon motiond for them to sit down, and Dedede placed the easel down near the computer and laid down the blanket for Adeleine to sit on. He set up the easel and gave the little girl her paintbrush. He whispered, "Make me a sandwich."

Addie got the message and painted a peanut butter jelly sandwich, crusts cut off. It popped out of the canvas, she handed it to him, after taking a bite for herself.

Dedede looked awed, but didn't question it. He ate the sandwich.

She painted some more food for him, and Dedede was just beginning to get full when Escargoon gave a loud cough.

"If you two monkeys would stop eating for a moment and PAY ATTENTION, I have some good news and some bad news."

Meta, who had remained standing, asked, "What's the good news?"

The snail turned his computer around. Meta could see a small crack in the bottom corner of the screen, and his screensaver was a picture if an elderly lady snail, probably his mother. That wasn't what was important, though. Escargoon pulled up a picture. "I found her home planet."

It was a pretty photograph of what we know as planet Earth. Beautiful blue oceans, green countries, and the poles a bright white. The one moon was slowly orbiting around the planet, a pale slate gray.

"That's pretty!" Dedede said, awed. He expected, after what Escargoon said about Adeleine being in some sort of danger, that there wouldn't even be a planet left.

Escargoon started to look worried. "That's not what it looks like now, I'm afraid.

Now, when you look, please don't cry all over my computer."

He typed some thing into the keyboard. "This is the bad news." He turned the computer around again, but much slower this time.

The planet no longer looked pretty and full of life. It was a dull grayish white, partly because of a ton of metal debris and partly because it seemed to be entirely frozen over. The moon no longer had a sort of silver sparkle, it had turned a horrendous beige color and looked like a chunk of discarded dirt.

Dedede bit his lip, trying not to look sad or anxious. Meta Knight looked emotionless through the mask, but he removed it in silence. His indigo face and silver eyes were mourning. Escargoon even lowered his head in honor. The planet had obviously been ruined.

All three of them looked at Adeleine.

She was laying on the checkered blanket, fast asleep. She was cuddling the blue paintbrush, now magically clean again. She must have noticed them looking at her, because she woke up, seeing Dedede's soft, pitiful expression, Meta Knight's slightly anxious one, and Escargoon's nervous one as he peeped out from behind the king's back.

She sat up, then shakily got to her feet. The little girl noticed the laptop computer, and the horrifying image of her broken home. She then, standing on her tippy toes, tried to touch the picture. "Home." Her first word that they could understand.

Escargoon realated his findings to the king and the knight. "The people who lived on this planet before it was destroyed were called Human Beings. Their scientific name is Homo Sapien, if that helps. Meta nodded. Dedede gave the snail a confused look.

He motioned to the laptop, where the 'before' picture of the planet was. "The humans called the planet Earth. They were a remarkably intelligent race, as far as I could tell. They invented all sorts if technology that I could easily replicate. For example, they made this kind of land vehicle called a "car". It's slower than the average starship, but it would be good for cruising around Dreamland or when you want to visit your subjects."

Meta knight looked at Escargoon's extensive research. He was quite impressed. He told him so. Escargoon blushed. "Thank you, sir."

"What happened to Earth? Why?"

Escargoon lowered his head. "I don't know. But I can guess."

"I have three theories.

The first is that their sun, which is actually our sun, got farther away from their planet and closer to ours."

Dedede nodded. "It never snows round here no more. It's depressing, but at least I know why..."

The snail genius continued. "The research I did also shows that Earth was having a global warming due to carbon emissions, so the scientists there may have made some kind of invention to cool down the planet, but it may have gone haywire. I find this theory unlikely though.

Here is the saddest one. I already told you the humans were an intelligent race, and they wre advancing by the decade. They hadn't come in contact with other races that weren't native to Earth, but they were determined. Nightmare found out about them."

His voice broke. If Nightmare found you a threat, he wiped you out. The humans didn't have a chance.

"There were about 8 billion of them. Then the planet turned into polar conditions. The entire race was wiped out and the gravestone of a planet was dubbed Shiver Star."

Adeleine, seemily understanding the conversation, burst into tears.

**WHAAAH! This chapter turned out to be much sadder than I anticipated! **

**Everyone, bow your head and let shade a moment of silence as we remember planet Earth and the human race. **

**Thank you.**


	6. Chapter 6: Given Away?

**The AdoKnight shipping fic will come out after the next chapter, I promise!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 6: Given Away...?

"I'm sure Adeleine will be okay.." Dedede said, although his voice quivered.

Escargoon closed the laptop, and Meta Knight packed up the art supplies and the blanket. Adeleine stopped wailing but still had large round tears rolling down her cheeks. And just think, the three of them had been having the time of their lives just twenty minutes ago.

"Jeez, I thought I had it bad, being a social outcast at my home and never getting to see the one person that loves me," Escargoon mumbled. Meta Knight gave a sad smile. He still had his mask off, which was surprising because he had it on at all times nowadays.

"I guess we're all on our own in the world, aren't we?"

"Yah, at least you got it better than us, Goonie." Dedede said.

The snail sniffled. "It hurts to know that they're far away and that you might never see them again. I miss my mother so much it aches and knaws at my stomach. She is the only person who ever loved me."

Dedede felt a tear rolling down his face. _Don't cry,_ he told himself, _don't cry; you're the king. Kings don't cry._ "I miss my dad too." He choked out.

Meta Knight looked at the little girl, the last of the human race. She probably didn't remember her parents very well, but she might have. He didn't remember his family. But he remembered the Galaxy Wars, vividly. He put the mask back on so no one could see his face.

Adeleine stood up and walked over to her easel while the king battled tears, the knight was lost in painful memories, and the snail was blubbering something about his mother making peanut butter cookies.

She painted a handkerchief for Dedede, and he blew his nose on it. "Thanks, Addie."

She painted a portrait for Meta Knight, the words "FIGHT ME" inside a pointed speech bubble. He smiled. _She was like a beacon of light, in a way_, he thought. _So much has happened and yet she smiles, cheers a person up, and wipes away their tears._

And for Escargoon?

She painted a little package of peanut butter cookies, tied up with a pink ribbon. She held it in both hands, and walked, slightly nervously, towards the distraught snail. She was a little but afraid of him.

She tugged on his hand. "Escargot?" He looked up, sniffling. She handed him the cookies.

Escargoon started to bawl again, but this time there was a smile on his snailish face.

"T-thanks, kid." Maybe she's not that bad... Not all kids are brats. He thought. Plus, she bribed me to shut up with food. I can't NOT like her.

Maybe things were going to be all right after all.

**_-pagebreak-_**

"You know that saying "It takes a village to raise a child?"" Escargoon asked one morning about a year later. "I think we may need more than that to make sure this kid doesn't run away."

Things hadn't changed much in the year Adeleine had been with them. The two hippies Meta Knight and King Dedede had seen the day they found out about Shiver Star lived in the castle now. Both of them had cut their hair, seemingly much more dignified than when that last saw them. The woman was expecting a child, it was supposed to be a girl. Besides that, and the fact that Adeleine was getting better with the paintbrush and understanding more and more English, thighs really weren't all that different.

Dedede was eating potato chips and was watching a Mickey Mouse ripoff on television in his throne room when an alarm suddenly blared out from what appeared to be Escargoon's lab. Meta Knight, who was making sure Adeleine didn't get paint all over the waddle dees, looked up, and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, child."

A reluctant Dedede, a confused Adeleine, and a worried Meta Knight arrived at the lab, where Escargoon was hurriedly pressing buttons on the various computers inside.

"Nightmare. He's back."

Dedede stepped back in shock. He wasn't worried about Dreamland. He could care less about this place. He was worried about the one human girl left alive that was sitting in his castle.

Oh, CRAP.

Escargoon rushed to explain everything while the alarm went off and a red light flashed on and off every few seconds. Adeleine whimpered and clung to Dedede's robe. "He's got the castle in his sights. I think he's here to finish off you and the kid, Metal Face."

Meta Knight replied haughtily, "DONT call me Metal Face. I'm not worried for myself, but we need to get the child out of here, into hiding if possible."

"But where? Everyone in the village is scared of her!" Escargoon cried.

Out of nowhere a waddle dee, the hardest worker of them all, came in, shutting the door quietly. He grabbed a broom and sweeped up all the shreds of papers and documents on the floor.

"I've got an idea." Dedede said.

**_-pagebreak-_**

That afternoon was one of the saddest in Dedede's life. Sure, it was extremely painful to see his father in a coffin and to have to interrogate Marx, but here he was losing someone who was basically his daughter.

Adeleine had hugged all three of them, and seven waddle dees carried her things, including the hard worker. Dedede pulled one of them back. "Look after her, ok? Make sure she's all right."

The waddle dees trooped out the castle doors. They were headed to a small cottage on the outskirts of Dreamand, inside Whispy's Forest, an obscure place that no person had ever been able to map correctly. Hopefully, she would be safe there.

Adeleine turned and waved. She gave a small smile, saying the words "I love you." before leaving with the silent creatures.

**_-pagebreak-_**

Two weeks later, in a rage, Dedede stole all if Dremaland's food supply. He didn't have a reason, he was just angry at the world. One soul stopped him; as he related this story to Meta Knight. A fellow by the name of Kirby.

"What did he look like?" Meta asked. He was angry as well; he just handled it by bottling it up inside him, a trick that never seemed to work.

"Well, besides the fact that he was pink, he looked just like you."

**Kirby FINALLY makes an appearance here. Sorry the MAIN CHARACTER of the game didn't have an epic introduction, but this story is kinda MK, DDD, and Addie centric, so...sorry Kirbs...**

**Please fave and follow if you liked it!**

**I'll see you guys later,**

**StarRod**


	7. Chapter 7: Dream a Little Dream of Me

**The AdoKnight shipping fic is coming after this chapter, don't worry!**

**Please tell me what you think of this story, constructive criticism welcome.**

**Enjoy! **

Ch. 7: Dream a Little Dream of Me

_Brrrrrrring_!

An old alarm clock woke the little girl up at five in the morning. She got up and went into the kitchen of the extremely small cottage that she lived in. She liked getting up early and staying up late; she never required much sleep. Besides, she liked to watch the sun rise.

The girl sat on a bench at the edge of Whispy Woods, watching the golden sun rise up over the king's castle. For some reason, she felt some sort of attachment to the castle, but didn't know why. Maybe it was because her waddle dee companions (she really couldn't call them friends or family) worked there.

She nibbled on a piece of stale toast, crumbs falling on the turquoise smock she always wore, giant yellow button and all. Her outfit usually consisted of that, gray shorts, and brown shoes. She wore her hair shorter than she would've liked and always wore one of her most prized possessions: a raspberry red beret. A golden watch was limply attached to her left wrist. The tax collectors probably would've confiscated it if she hadn't always hidden it up her sleeve. Not even the waddle dees knew she had it.

The little girl sighed and stood up, wiping the crumbs off her smock. She'd always liked the word smock. It was fun to say. Smock smock smock smock smock...

Someone pulling on the edge of her shorts brought her out of her crazy thoughts. She looked down, and saw her little waddle dee friend, one of the few friends she had.

This waddle dee was basically the only one who paid attention to her and let her talk to him. He was the hardest worker of all of them, and just to make sure she knew which one was her friend she tied a piece of red ribbon to the broom he carried everywhere. He could probably use that tired old broom as a weapon if he wanted to.

She smiled, and gave him a hug. "G'morning, Dee. Want some breakfast?"

He shook his head no. He had probably eaten already. The thing that really bugged the girl was that the creatures she lived with never spoke, so she had to either talk to them or to herself. She almost never heard a voice that wasn't her own.

"I had the dream again, Dee. It was the same as usual."

She had the same dream often. It usually consisted of her "waking up" and seeing three figure looking down at her. She could never remember who the figures were, but one was red, one was blue, and one was a purplish-green. Dreams were supposed to be important messages or to have some deeper meaning. It never made sense to her.

"WHY, though? Do you think it means something?" Dee shrugged.

After Waddle Dee went to go clean the house, the girl went deeper into the woods. The waddle dees never knew she went into the forest, because she rarely went in there, but this was important.

A clearing sprang up in front of all the trees, and one huge tree sat in the middle. The girl walked up to the tree and hugged it. "Good morning, Whispy."

The tree smiled. "Good morning, Ado."

**_-pagebreak-_**

"AGAIN!"

Dedede slammed his hand on the seat if his throne. He looked livid. It probably had something to do with-

"KIRBY!"

Yeah, him.

Escargoon walked into the throne room with a nightcap on his head. "Why did you wake me up at this ungodly hour, sire?"

"Cuz of Kirby, of course! The little pink brat even beat me at pinball! PINBALL!"

"Whoopdy-Doo. I'm going back to bed." He turned around, and went back to his bedroom.

Dedede waited until Escargoon had left, then sighed. It was true that Kirby had beaten him at pinball recently, but that wasn't why he was angry.

He wanted to see Adeleine, but the waddle dees wouldn't let him. She had to be protected, isolated, so Nightmare wouldn't find out she existed. He wanted to see the girl so much it ached. This was the one thing food couldn't help. It had been a long time, the girl would be about 200 now. She probably didn't even remember him.

His mind wandered back to Kirby. The gumball was a problem, no doubt about that. But he did make castle life more interesting; he had never had a rival before. He even stopped Meta knight from taking over Dreamland once when he blew his top after bottling it all up inside him. He heard that Kirby broke Meta's mask off...

We're Meta Knight and kirby related? He didn't think so, but he did think that Meta Knight was embarrassed to let kirby see his face. That would be awkward.

His mind came up with another question: how did Kirby get here? Meta got to planet Popstar in a silver starship, he remembered Meta dragging it to the basement. Did Kirby get here the same way? Maybe he did, maybe he slept somewhere and just randomly woke up to stop him from stealing all of Dreamland's food...

He didn't know, and therefore he didn't care.

**_-pagebreak- _**

"Whispy, I keep having the dream. Why? Is it a memory of my ancestors or a mission to complete or something?"

The tree looked out onto the horizon. Ado was glad she had Whispy to help her with things. She had first met him a while ago, when she was around three. She had wandered off and had gotten lost in the woods, and then had met the tree. Whispy had called on a little green bird named Pitch to help her out of the forest, but she kept returning. His voice kept her sane. He had even taught her to read and write, although she didn't enjoy it as much as painting. He also expanded her vocabulary so much that the waddle dees were astounded at how much she knew at three.

The one word she knew but wasn't sure about was her name.

She wasn't even sure that Ado was her real name. That was what she called herself when she was little, it could've been just baby talk. her real name could be Princess Dedede for all she knew.

She smiled to herself at the ridiculous idea if being related to the king and turned to Whispy, who was still thinking. "So?" She asked.

"I can't think straight for some reason, Ado. Do you mind leaving alone so I can think?"

Ado perked up. "Yeah! I'll go painting in Cloudy Park today! I haven't been there in forever!"

The little girl ran to the cottage, packed her paintbrush, palette, and easel, made sure the waddle dees didn't see her leave, and then Ado ran past Whispy's forest, not even noticing the darkening sky.

**-looks up- DANG, long chapter today! **

**Anyone remember the beginning of the Sunburning episode of the anime? Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby were flipping through and old photo album and saw their parents as teens. They looked like hippies, so that's why I made them as such in this story.**

**Ado is five in human years. So if you want to find out how long a year in Dreamlnad is if five= two hundred, be my guest.**

**How is Ado going to get all the way across Popstar? **

**Why is the sky darkening?**

**Why can't Whispy think straight?**

**Will I ever stop asking you these stupid questions?**

**ALL WILL BE REVEALED NEXT CHAPTER! **

**-StarRod**


	8. Chapter 8: Puppets of Shadow

**Hey, it's my one-month anniversary! Well, it was the 23rd... **

**But hey! Still celebratin anyway!**

**Happy thanksgiving, everybody!**

Chapter 8: Puppets of Darkness

Ado ran through the outskirts of Whispy Woods, gleeful and proud of herself. She had escaped the cottage twice AND gotten to see Whispy without the Waddle Dees knowing.

She screeched to a halt next to a tall oak tree, and did a little victory dance.

Ado then heard the faint sound or snoring, and looked up to see a humongous gray owl asleep on a tree branch. She smiled. She had seen this bird before.

She knocked on the tree. "Hey, Coo."

Te bird remained asleep.

She tried to reach up and tap on the bird, but she was too short. "Coo."

The bird snored softly.

Ado shook the tree. "COO! WAKE UP!"

The owl woke with a start. "What do you want NOW, Kirby- Oh, it's you. Hello, Ado."

Coo fluttered down from the tree branch. Ado smiled. "Remember, you owe me a favor for painting you some birdseed that one day. Can you take me to Cloudy Park today? Like, now?"

Coo raised an eyebrow. "Did you ask the Waddle De-"

"YES!"

Now both of Coo's eyebrows went up. "Okay; it's your own grave you're digging, girl."

The owl jumped and fluttered in the air, but not very high off the ground. "Grab my legs, and we'll be there soon."

Ado jumped up. "Yes! Let's go!"

The air was chilly, and was getting dark, but Ado wasn't afraid. She liked feeling the wind in her face and the feeling of adventure. You know, the feeling that isn't boredom. She couldn't wait to get to Cloudy Park.

After a little while, Ado asked Coo a question. "Where are Pitch and Rick and Nago? I haven't seen them at all since Nago got stuck in a tree and Chuchu had to get her out." She laughed.

Coo looked down at her innocent, laughing face. "You know who Kirby is, right?"

Ado nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Isn't he the hero of Dreamland? The one who beat up Nightmare with the Star Rod and beat Dedede in a food race?"

"It's KING Dedede, and yes. Apparently Popstar's rings are broken, and Kirby and Gooey are trying to fix it."

"Who's Gooey?" Ado asked.

"I don't know," Coo admitted, looking out at the horizon, "but Kirby trusts him, so he must be okay. Here we are, the entrance to Strawberry Fluff. See you, Ado."

And with a flap of his wings, Coo headed towards the Waddle dees' cottage. There was something important he had to tell them.

Ado looked at the huge cloud known as Strawberry Fluff. It was the size of a ten-story building, and was shaped and colored like a strawberry. It was Ado's happy place. She always painted on the walls in the hallways and stood out on a balcony and looked at the huge expanse of sky, daydreaming of being a hero like Kirby.

The artist set up her easel on this very balcony, and looked up in shock.

The sky was turning black, and it was only 9:00 in the morning.

**_-pagebreak-_**

"WHAT?!"

Dedede slammed his arm on the armrest of his throne. If the people standing in front of Dedede had a dictionary with them and looked up the word "Pissed", Dedede's face would take up half the page.

"YOU LOST HER?! NOW?!"

The waddle dees looked down in shame, scared of their impending punishment. Coo, the wise gray owl, was among them. He was the one who had told the creatures that Ado had gone.

Dedede's eyes were a strange red instead of their usual sparkling blue. His body looked exhausted and tense at the same time. What was going on?

"Since you lost her, YOU SHALL BE EXECUTED! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" An evil grin shone temporalily in the king's face, until a door broke open. Meta Knight broke in to the throne room.

"Sire, what is the matter? Why have you been shouting?"

A quiet cough was heard from behind the throne, and Escargoon walked out from behind it. "He's been acting violent all morning. Maybe he's just stressed."

Meta knight closed his eyes and thought, and Dedede picked up his hammer and tried to squish Coo into a pancake.

Meta Knight lept in front of them. "SIRE, STOP!"

A worn, yellow piece of paper fell out if the knights cape and fluttered to the ground.

Dedede blinked. His eyes were blue again. "Addie's birth certificate... You kept it all this time?"

The knight lowered his gaze. "Yes. I think about her every day. I love her like my own daughter and it pains me so much to not know how she is or see her grow. This piece of paper is the only keepsake I have left of her."

The king began to sway, and looked like he was about to faint. His eyes kept rapidly changing from blue to red, and he began to look worn and exhausted again. He managed to choke out, "I think I need to lay down..."

His servants were only too happy to oblige.

**_-pagebreak-_**

Winds howled and the sky darkened as though stained with a gigantic ink blot of depression and anger. Five people of planet Popstar began to feel worn and spent, then uncontrollably violent, not remembering any of their memories that made them happy.

All those people felt were anger, sadness, hopelessness.

Darkness.

**What's gonna happen?**

**BOSS BATTLE TIME, THATS WHAT!**

**See ya then,**

**StarRod**


	9. Chapter 9: Marionettes of Matter

**Dedede, Meta, and Addie are playing cards.**

**Addie: Got any nines?**

**Meta: That's not what were playing...**

**Dedede: HA HA! I WON! ALL THE GOLD IS MINE! **

**Meta: REALLY?!**

**Dedede: I've been cheating the last eight turns. -hi-fives Addie-**

**A sudden rumble fills the room. The door rapidly swing open and a familiar figure is silhouetted in the background. **

**StarRod: KIRBY FANS, I HATH RETURNETH! **

Chapter 9: Marrionettes of Dark Matter

King Dedede sat up and looked out the window of his castle, looking at the sky. Why was he so angry all of a sudden? Why? He was known to snap sometimes, but not this violently. He hurt all over, and felt exhausted. What was wrong?

He suddenly shuddered, though no cold wind was in the castle. But Dedede felt cold all over, like someone had dumped a bucket of water on him. Chill spread through his body like a freezing wildfire, and he suddenly collapsed. He screamed in excruciating pain, his eyes rapidly changed from red to blue and back again, as the evil dark matter fought for Dedede's conscince. He fell over, and the darknesss prevailed.

Dedede was turned into a mindless puppet, and was dragged to the coldest part of Dreamland. Limp and motionless, the soulless King did not even notice that he was headed towards a huge, castle-shaped mountain, in the country where his people once thrived.

There, at the top of the frigid peak, the Dark Matter inside King Dedede waited patiently for the pink hero to arrive.

Meanwhile, in Cloudy Park, Ado was feeling similarly. She was never one to get angry; she always kept her head and was usually calm. But suddenly, she hated the picture she was working on. Everything and anything in her painting looked off and stupid, and with a frustrated noise, Ado ripped the paper off her easel and tore the canvas to pieces.

Ado blinked. What had she done? That picture had looked all right 2 minutes ago, but then she had suddenly hated it... Why?

A sudden head rush sent Ado to her knees, and she groaned as she clutched the jet-black hair on her forehead.

_Ow ow ow ow ow ow..._ She thought. Her chest hurt, the space behind her eyes began to feel sore, and Ado felt as if she had a migraine. She started to cry, and began to wail loudly as the pain became too much, and she passed out.

And so the Dark Matter claimed another innocent soul to do its horrible bidding.

-**_pagebreak_**-

Coo the owl's wings were sore. He had spent all of that morning carrying Ado to Strawberry Fluff, and now he had to carry that incompetent gumball Kirby to the entrance of Cloudy Park. Coo's conscience chided him; he was just mad because he hadn't slept in a while.

The weather had changed drastically since Coo had been there earlier; the sky was now filled with ominous dark-grey clouds and heavy drops of rain came down faster than bullets. Coo winced as a raindrop hit him right on the beak, and was suprised when the drop didn't glide off. It didn't smell like rain, either. It kind of smelled like paint...

Coo's eyes widened. "Ado." He said in shock.

He sped up, not caring for his sore wings.

-**_pagebreak_**-

Kirby, for his part, was suprised when Coo sped through all of Cloudy Park and headed straight for the huge strawberry-shaped cloud. Weren't they going to search for Heart Stars before heading towards the boss?

"We'll come back for the Heart Stars later." Coo said quickly, as if he had read Kirby's thoughts. Maybe he read Kirbys expression... Coo was very wise and could read expressions very well.

When Coo dropped him off at the bottom of the red cloud, Kirby turned and saw Coo perched on a tree-shaped cloud, fast asleep. Kirby smiled; he could tell Coo had been tired and decided to let him sleep. He ran into the cloud.

Weirdly, there were walls, a floor, and a ceiling in the cloud. Kirby gasped audibly at the sight; the building was wonderfully built. It reminded him of Butter Building. There were also paintings on the wall, usually of animals. Waddle Dees were common, and there were a few birds, a Rick clone, and even a portrait of Kirby himself. All of them were beautifully painted and Kirby felt honored.

There were a lot of stairs in Strawberry Fluff. Step after step after step made Kirby beign to feel exhausted, but he pressed on nonetheless. Finally, he reached a door painted like the sky. This must be it, Kirby thought. The boss of cloudy Park.

The door opened silently, and Kirby cautiously peeped out.

A hunched, turquoise, and tall figure was standing next to a wooden easel, and trying its best to paint. The figures movements were unnatural and jerky, as if a marionette puppet was trying to paint instead of a person. The figure never turned, but it spoke to the young warrior in a distorted, creepy voice. It was a blend of a young girl's voice and something...inhuman. Something nasty. The very tone of the figure's voice sent shivers down Kirby's nonexistent spine.

"wElCoMe, KiRbY oF tHe StArS. i'Ve BeEn WaItInG fOr YoU..."

**Ugh, possessed Addie is kinda creepy. Gives me goosebumps...brr..**

**Anyway, sorry for the hiatus. I really got into the Gravity Falls fandom (and trust me, I'm still deeply rooted in it. THE STANLEY TWIN THEORY, YO.) And then finals (which were really stressful) then Christmas break, then vacation... I just was too busy to sit down and write.**

**It's good to be back :)**

**-StarRod **


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